Limit on euthanization of shelter animals is proposed

Friday

Oct 28, 2011 at 2:00 AM

A bill proposed in the New York state Legislature would make euthanizing shelter animals illegal if a legitimate rescue group with a 501c designation can take them, or if cages are empty or can be shared.

Jessica Cohen

A bill proposed in the New York state Legislature would make euthanizing shelter animals illegal if a legitimate rescue group with a 501c designation can take them, or if cages are empty or can be shared.

The bill could affect an estimated 25,000 animals per year who would otherwise typically be euthanized in New York state animal shelters.

Shelters would be required to post photos and descriptions of stray animals on the Internet, scan for identifying microchips, keep updated lost and found lists, and match animals they impound with postings of lost animals.

The Companion Animal Adoption & Rescue Act (CAARA), proposed by Assemblyman Micah Kellner, Democrat from Manhattan, and state Sen. Joseph Robach, Republican from Rochester, is based on the Hayden Law, enacted in California in 1998, model legislation composed by the No Kill Advocacy Center, and input from several other animal advocacy groups, as well as legal experts, according to Kellner.

"We took the Hayden law and made it bigger and better. The Hayden law is general; it doesn't mandate specifics," Kellner said.

CAARA narrows the definition of "suffering" as cause for euthanasia. "Irremediable physical suffering" would mean "the animal suffers from a medical condition that has a poor or grave prognosis and that the animal is unlikely to be able to live without prolonged, severe and unremitting pain despite necessary veterinary care."

"People would argue that some fates are worse than death. But no, with death, that's it," Kellner said.

At the Humane Society of Port Jervis/Deerpark, director Bill Lloyd says about one third of cats are euthanized.

"I would be in favor of the legislation if it included inspections of rescue groups," Lloyd said.

He said he witnessed an incident of animal hoarding by a rescue organization, Animals Farm Home in Ulster County, in the late 1980s.

"'Foster' does not mean extremely well screened. Good intentions can go awry," he said. "But it would be great to put animals in fosters if you can."

While rescue organizations for particular breeds often take animals from the shelter, Lloyd says other rescues have not approached him much.

The new law would require 501c3 rescue organizations to have been in operation for a year and have no past convictions for cruelty charges to be able to take animals from shelters.

"If shelters are concerned that a rescue is pulling more animals than can be cared for, the shelter can impose spay, neuter and adoption fees to assure their finances. But shelters must exhaust every lifesaving possibility," Kellner said. "I'm sure we'll hear that we're asking too much from some shelters. But when an animal's life is on the line, you can always ask a little more."